High School Sucks
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: ALL HUMAN AU! In their Junior Year, Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Cordelia meet two new students from across the pond, as well as the equally British new Librarian. Love blossoms, secrets are revealed, and lives will change forever. W/S, B/A, X/C, G/J
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. This is kind of AU. It is set mid season two, except its all Human. Buffy and Co have not met Giles, Angel or Spike yet. **

Chapter 1

Willow Rosenberg brushed her long, red hair back from her face as she stood at her locker, undoing her lock. This a creak the door opened, just as she heard her name being called by a very familiar voice.

"Willow, Wills!"

Willow smiled, recognising the voice as that of one of her best friends, Xander Harris. She turned and faced him as he emerged from the crowd, standing beside her.

"Xander, hey. How are you this sunny morning?"

"Willow, I worry about you sometimes. It's the first day back at school after Spring Break, what is there to be happy about?"

"Being back in the classroom, learning new things, feeling our knowledge growing, not to mention the knowledge that it isn't long until summer vacation."

"I'm with you on the last one, Wills, but you're on your own with the other ones."

"I suppose for you, it also lets you see your girlfriends every day."

"That is true," Xander admitted, a dopey grin crossing his mind when he thought of his lovely Cordelia. Willow coughed.

"Did you hear that they've finally replaced Mr Merrick?"

"Who?"

"The old librarian…was kind of old, kept forgetting where everything was."

"Oh yeah, that creepy old guy. Who is the new guy?" Xander asked, but Willow knew he was only asking to humour her; his mind was still fixed on Cordelia thoughts.

"I don't know, I haven't heard his name, but apparently he is English."

"Like from the mother land, England?" Willow's other best friend, Buffy Summers quipped, joining the pair. Willow nodded.

"Yep, hey Buffy."

"Wills, Xander' Buffy greeted.

"Buffster," Xander grinned, scanning the crowd for Cordelia. Buffy caught Willow's eye and rolled her eyes, and Willow giggled, pulling her books from her locker and pushing her locker door closed. The trio moved off down the corridor.

"So, what classes do you guys have now?" Willow asked.

"Geometry and I'm running late. See you in English." Buffy hurried off. Through the crowd, Xander and Willow spotted Cordelia.

"Cordy and I have history, I'll see you in English too, okay."

"Okay, Xander, see you then." Willow waved as he moved off, kissing Cordelia quickly, before they moved off. Willow bowed her head and walked to her computer programming class. It was her favourite subject, and it was taught by her favourite teacher, Ms. Calender.

Willow pushed the computer classroom door open and walked up to Ms. Calender's desk.

"Hello Willow, did you have a good break?" The dark haired woman asked, smiling broadly up at Willow

"Yes, I got kind of bored though. Xander and Cordelia did couple-y things most of the time, and Buffy spent a week up in LA with her dad, though she rang me every night. Mom and Dad emailed, they said that Paris was nice, and they were heading to Prague on Wednesday."

"Ms. Calender smiled sympathetically, mentally asking how it was possible for someone as kind as Willow to have been born to two of the most uncaring people on the planet. Willow moved to her desk in the front row, and switched her computer on as the rest of the class filed in, chatting amongst themselves and laughing loudly as they caught up on the latest gossip. Willow had no friends in this class, and the desk beside her was always empty, with no one wanting to diminish their social standing at the school by sitting beside 'that geeky Rosenberg girl.'

It was about ten minutes into the class when there was a quiet knock on the door. A tall, peroxide blonde boy walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He had deep blue eyes, pale skin, and prominent cheekbones. He wore a long leather duster, with a black t-shirt and black Jeans. He walked over to Ms. Calender and handed her a slip of paper. Ms. Calender took a curious glance at the boy, before taking the note, reading it. Willow's thoughts began to speed through her mind.

Was he a new kid? He had to be, they don't make them like that in Sunnydale, or at least, that's what Buffy said when she saw a hot guy. More often than not, she was right.

Willow's heart started to race when the boy started to walk towards her. 'Oh my God, he's coming over here. He's going to sit next to me. Of course he's going to sit next to me, it's the only free seat in the class, he has to sit here.' She mentally babbled. The boy sat down at the desk beside Willow, and Ms Calender followed him over.

"Willow, this is William, a new student. I'm sure you'll help him feel welcome at Sunnydale High. William, this is Willow, my star pupil. She'll get you caught up on the work in no time." The teacher introduced the pair, knowing that Willow wouldn't dare talk to someone like William without someone else initiating the conversation. The girl was just too shy to do that. Having gotten the ball rolling she went back to her desk. William took the opportunity to introduce himself properly.

"Was that as embarrassing for you as it was for me? Oh well, at least it wasn't in front of the whole class." He grinned. Willow's jaw almost dropped right down onto her desk. His voice, oh my God. It rendered her speechless, at least physically, which was still quite an achievement. She simply nodded in response to his question.

"I'm William, but my friends call me Spike." William said, and Willow felt herself blushing at the sound of his voice, his gorgeous English accent.

"Hi, I'm Willow, my friends call me, well, willow, or Will, or Wills, or Willster, or I'm just going to shut up now." Willow ducked her head, feeling her face go as red as her hair. Spike laughed, but it was a friendly laugh, not like Harmony's, or Cordelia's before she started dating Xander.

"I think I'll call you Red, if it's okay with you," Spike said teasingly. Willow grinned shyly and giggled, before turning even more red.

For that class, they were assigned into pairs, and naturally, Willow and Spike were together. She was amused by how little he new about computers, as she lead him through the basics, before she did the assigned task. It had been Spike's turn to blush.

"My old man, he doesn't approve of computers all that much, or any form of technology really." He explained.

"Oh, I don't think my parents do either, but they don't really care about what I do, as long as I get good grades and stay out of trouble." Willow said, a hint of sadness entering her voice. Spike flinched when he heard it, and made a mental note not to bring up the girl's parents. That was fine with him; he didn't like talking about parents either.

BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS

Willow's next class was English, and she was excited that Spike happened to have English with her. They walked into the classroom, and Willow glanced at the seats where Buffy, Xander, and Cordelia usually sat. Buffy and Cordelia were both looking at Spike with, simply put, desire on their faces, as were most of the other girls that had seen Spike. Xander, however, was scowling faintly, obviously regarding the blonde as a threat.

Willow walked with Spike to the teacher's desk and introduced him to the increasingly balding Mr. Clarke. Spike showed the man his note from the office, and Mr. Clarke merely nodded his head.

"Ah yes, I see you've made friends with young Miss Rosenberg. You two can sit together with Miss Rosenberg's other friends, if you like," Mr Clarke said, "but first, you need to introduce yourself to the class."

Willow caught Spike's grimace and cringed sympathetically. Mr. Clarke was notorious for making his students do speeches and encouraged them to speak out in class and be opinionated. It was hellish for Willow, who liked to blend into the background, and hated public speaking with a passion, but it suited Buffy and Cordelia's more outspoken learning style. Willow went and sat in her usual seat beside Buffy, and in front of Xander, who sat beside Cordelia.

"Willow, who is the hot blonde?" Cordelia asked, leaning forward.

"New guy, he's from England, and he's in my computer programming class. Ms Calender paired us up."

"Go Wills, what's his name?" Buffy leaned into the conversation

"William, but he said I can call him Spike." Willow whispered as Mr. Clarke settled the class down.

"This is William Giles, your new classmate. I hope you make him feel welcome. Tell the class some things about yourself, William."

"Er hi. I'm William, but everyone calls me Spike. I'm from England, though you probably figured that from me accent. I've just moved to Sunnydale, my dad got a new job, and moved here with me and my cousin. That's really it."

"Thank-you Mr. Giles. Take a seat beside Miss Rosenberg," Mr. Giles said, before he turned ad began writing on the chalkboard. William walked down the aisle between the chairs and sat down in the empty seat on Willow's other side, dropping his bag onto the desk.

"How did I go?" he asked. Willow grinned at him

"Just fine' she said reassuringly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Willow didn't see Spike again after English until Lunch, when she spotted him standing with an even taller, dark haired boy who seemed to ooze mysteriousness. The other boy, who looked a little older than Spike, had brown eyes, and his skin was just as pale as Spike's was. Willow guessed he was Spike's cousin.

"Hey Willow, what are you looking at?' Buffy asked, nudging Willow in the side as she sat down beside Willow. Willow didn't say anything, so Buffy followed Willow's line of sight.

"Who is the guy Spike is standing with? Major Hottie alert." Buffy grinned.

"I think it's his cousin." Willow replied. Buffy grinned.

"Obviously they're from a good gene pool."

"Buffy, I can't believe you just said that" Willow giggled, before glancing back at the two boys.

"They look uncomfortable, and lost."

"We should invite them to sit over here with us. We have lots of room free, especially since Oz and Amy started going out and sitting by themselves. We should go and ask them now, before Harmony and her pack of whores get their greasy mitts onto them." Buffy moved her tray to the other side of the table, and got up.

"Buffy!" Willow giggled again, before getting up and following her friend over to where the boys were standing, leaning against the wall. Willow chewed her lip nervously, suddenly feeling very shy.

"Hey Spike," Buffy said. Willow nodded her greeting, her tongue suddenly feeling too thick for her to be able to talk properly.

"Red, nice to see a familiar face." Spike smiled. Willow blushed slightly, realising that she needed to introduce Spike and Buffy.

"Oh, I didn't get round to introducing you two in class today. This is one of my best friends, Buffy Summers."

"Hi" Buffy offered Spike her hand, which he shook.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Buffy. This is my cousin Liam."

"Hello" Liam nodded at the two girls. Up close, Willow realised he actually didn't look that much older than Spike.

"We were wondering if you two boys would like to come and sit at our table with us and two of our friends. We have plenty of room." Buffy invited; her voice slightly breathless after hearing Liam's voice, which was deep, and carried a strong Irish brogue, though it had none of Spike's English accent to it. Obviously, they had been raised separately up until recently.

"Thanks, pet. That's the trouble with new places, you don't know anyone, and don't know where to sit to have lunch." Spike grinned casually.

"Tell me about it," commented Buffy, "When I came here last year I was so lost. Thankfully, Wills and Xander found me."

"I think it was more like you finding us, Buffy. Xander and I were pretty lost when you came, you know," Willow's voice saddened once again. Buffy nodded but didn't say anything, and Spike and Liam go the impression that they shouldn't say anything either. Obviously, it was a taboo subject.

Willow led the way back to the table, followed closely by Spike. Buffy and Liam walked together behind them. Spike was relieved when he noticed that Buffy's tray was across the table from where Willow was sitting, enabling him to sit beside the petite Redhead. He glanced at Liam, who didn't seem to mind being forced to sit beside Buffy.

"This is Xander and Cordelia" Buffy introduced. Cordy smiled at the newcomers, internally amused that Buffy and Willow both seemed to have claimed one of the boys as their own. It was cute.

"Hi" she beamed. Xander merely nodded his head in greeting, sending a single look in the direction of Spike and Liam that quite clearly said 'stay away form Cordelia, she is mine.' Willow obviously noticed the glare Xander was sending in the direction of the newcomers, because she hastily spoke again.

"So, Spike, what part of England are you from?"

"London. I spent a bit of time in the country with my grandparents though, when I was younger."

"Wow, London. That must have been great." Buffy said. Spike shrugged.

"It was alright. I liked the country better though. It was quieter" Spike began to eat his lunch.

"What about you, Liam, where are you from?"

"Galway, Ireland actually. I moved to London to stay with Uncle Rupert and Spike when I was fourteen."

"What do you think of California so far? What about Sunnydale? Have you been to LA yet?" Cordelia asked.

"It's alright. A bit warmer than what we're used to though. Sunnydale is nice, small and very open. Lots of parks and stuff. We stayed in LA for one night with a friend of my Dad's" Spike answered.

"We really haven't had much of a chance to look around yet though. What I've seen has been good." Liam added

"We should go to the Bronze tonight."

"On a school night?" Willow was unsure.

"Whats the Bronze?" Spike asked.

"The local club. The only local club. It's, like, the only place to hang out in this whole town." Cordy chimed in.

"It's kind of dead on school nights, but on Friday and Saturday nights they get bands in and everything." Xander told the two new boys, obviously feeling a little more open to them than he had been previously.

"I'm going to have to miss tonight, guys. I have training." Buffy said.

"Training?" Liam asked.

Buffy grinned, "Karate. I'm working towards getting my Black Belt."

"I did Karate when I was in London. I got my Black belt late last year. Maybe I could join up at wherever you do it. Is it good there?"

"Yeah, I really like it there. The instructors are awesome. You should come sometime this week and see about joining up. We'll be in the same class." Buffy said, almost bouncing in her seat in excitement.

"Sounds great, Buffy. I'll just have to talk to Uncle Rupert about it though." Liam grinned, and Buffy felt her insides melt a little as Liam's brown eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Xander, Wills, Spike? Are you guys up for Bronzing tonight?" Cordelia asked. Willow shook her head.

"I can't, I have to work on the program tonight." She apologised. Xander rolled his eyes.

"You spent all of Spring break working on the program, Willow"

"No I didn't, not all the time anyway. Besides, it's almost finished. Just a few little bugs that I need to work out."

"What's this program?" Spike asked.

"Earlier this year, at Careers week, I was approached by a software company. I've been designing a program for them "

"Willow's all set to be the youngest self made millionaire in Sunnydale history" Xander grinned. Willow smacked him on the back of the head.

"Xander, shut up. I don't want people to know about that." she hissed, her face going as red as her hair with embarrassment.

Spike laughed, "So obviously, I really did get paired up with the best in the computer programming class. I was half expecting it to be a short geeky guy with glasses and a star trek convention t-shirt. I have to admit, I am much more impressed with this option."

If it was possible, Willow blushed even more.

"Damn, lunch time is almost over. I've gotta go to PE" Buffy cursed, coming to Willow's rescue.

"You have PE now? So do we." Liam said.

"Our one and only class together. Thank God." Spike muttered under his breath. Liam still heard him, though, and smacked Spike on the head as he stood up.

"I should go too, Red. Don't wanna get in trouble for being late to class on me first day." Spike got to his feet as well.

"Bye Spike." Willow waved as the bleached blonde followed Liam and Buffy over to the rubbish bin, before they walked in the direction of the gym. She turned around, only to see the near identical smirks on Xander and Cordelia's faces.

"Some-ones got a crush" Xander sing-songed teasingly.

"I do not" Willow protested, "I mean, he's nice and everything, and he is really nice to look at, and his accent is to die for. He sounds like James Bond, only younger, and Blonde." Willow babbled

"Uh-huh. Face it, Wills. I've known you since we were five. You so do like him. In a more than friends kind of way." Xander grinned.

'And yet he never noticed when I had a crush on him' Willow thought to herself.

"Besides, I never said it was you who had the crush, or even on who the crush was." It could have been Spike who had the crush, or I noticed that Liam and Buffy looked kind of cosy together." Xander was grinning. Willow scowled.

"It was implied." She defended herself. Cordy and Xander slowly nodded, sarcasm evident on their faces.

"Okay, so maybe I do have a teeny-tiny crush on him. So what? It's not like he'll ever like me back in the same way." Willow confessed

Cordy rolled her eyes, "Willow, he so does like you back in the same way. He barely could take his eyes off of you. C'mon, we need to get to class. Bye Xander." Cordy got to her feet, and Willow stood as well. 

"See you later Cordy, Wills." Xander waved as the pair went and cleared off their trays before they went to class. He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he too got up and cleared his tray of rubbish, before walking to his own class.

"Poor, blind Willow. Can't even see what's so obviously in front of her." He sadly murmured.

**A.N. Here's chapter two. Feedback is great. The next chapter should be up soon.**

**R.W. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Willow walked home by herself after school, having seen Buffy walking happily off in the direction of her house, and Xander and Cordelia off in Cordy's car. Buffy had said something about changing clothes before going on to the Karate studio, while Xander and Cordelia were off to do whatever it is couples did after school.

She sighed as she walked up her path and to the front porch of her house, unlocking the front door with her key. She stepped into her empty house, walking slowly up the stairs to her room. She placed her school bag beside her desk, and flopped down onto her double bed.

She wished there was someone to talk to, but all of her friends were too busy for her, the shy, mousy little Redhead, even her parents. She hadn't seen them since just before her last birthday, which they had forgotten about until three months later. She'd gotten a card and a check for a thousand dollars in the mail. Willow still hadn't touched any of that money, and she'd had for a month. She lived off the one hundred dollars a week her parents put directly into her bank account, and most weeks she only used eighty of that.

Willow rolled over and opened the top drawer of her bedside chest of drawers. She pulled out her diary and flicked it open to the next clean page. She picked a pen up from the top of her bedside drawers and wrapped her arm around one of the many stuffed toys she had scattered on her bed. Biting her lip thoughtfully, she began to write.

_Dear Diary;_

_It was the first day back at school today, much to Xander's disgust, but my delight. Xander, Cordelia and Buffy had good holidays, and Ms Calender did too. I told her where Mom and Dad are now, and she got this weird look on her face. She'd probably rather be there, rather then here, teaching High School Computer Programming. Who would prefer Paris and Prague to Sunnydale high?_

_I know I wouldn't._

_Speaking of C.P, there is a new guy in our class. His name is William, but he said I can call him Spike. He prefers being called Spike than to his name. I don't understand why, William is a nice name, though it might have gotten confusing if he wanted to be called Will. On second thoughts, Spike is a good name too. _

_Anyway, Spike and his cousin Liam have just arrived in Sunnydale from London, England. They both sat with Buffy, Cordy, Xander and I at lunch today. I have C.P., English and Trig with Spike. Ms Calender asked me if I could help him catch up in C.P._

_I just remembered that the school board has finally hired a new librarian to replace Mr. Merrick. Apparently, the new Librarian is English too. Isn't that a coincidence?_

_I'm all by myself tonight, as usual. Buffy has Karate, and Xander and Cordy are doing couple-y things that I'm trying not to think about. _

_Eww, I'm thinking about them now._

_I think I have a crush on Spike, and Xander and Cord think so to. Buffy has a crush on Liam. Did I mention that I have a crush on Spike._

_I, Willow Danielle Rosenberg, have a crush on Spike, the most handsome, gorgeous man I have ever met in my entire life. He had peroxide blonde hair, which he combs back. His eyes are the bluest eyes I have ever seen, and his voice. _

_OH MY GOD. He sounds like James Bond. His accent is so hot. He has the nicest cheekbones, and his ass (or should I say arse, he is British after all) is to die for. Cordy even agrees with me, though I don't think Xander likes him or Liam. The glare he sent at them today at Lunch was so territorial. It was funny, because it was from Xander. _

_I'll bet that Spike has slept with heaps of girls. With the whole dyed hair thing, it gives him a kind of bad boy look, and both he and Liam wear lots of black. They both had leather jackets on at school today. No, there is no way that Spike is still a Virgin. _

_I should go; I have Trig homework that is due next Monday. I should get it done now. Then I can work on the program._

_Love, Willow._

Willow sat back and smiled before she flicked her diary closed and went to sit at her desk, pulling her homework from her bag with a small sigh.

BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS

Spike and Liam met outside the Sunnydale High School library at the end of the day, both of them carrying their bags. Spike grinned at his cousin, who was really more like his overprotective big brother, and pushed the library door open, walking into the room. Liam followed close behind.

Rupert Giles was putting away books up in the stacks when he heard the library door open. He bustled out, half expecting a student, or maybe a teacher, or even the school principal, a small, slightly troll like little man named Mr. Snyder. He relaxed, however, when he saw the boys standing in the library foyer.

"Oh, hello boys. How was your first day?"

"Fine, I liked all of my classes," Liam said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It was okay." Spike added, sitting on the table. Giles sent a pointed look at his son, who slid off the table and onto a chair. Liam chuckled softly and put his bag down.

"Anything I can help you with, Uncle Rupert?"

"No, no, I'm just finishing up. They weren't joking when they said it would be a quiet job."

"Well duh, it's a library. It's supposed to be quiet" Spike commented from where he sat.

"Quiet as in not very busy, though it was also very quiet volume wise as well" Giles rolled his eyes.

"How many kids came in here?" Spike asked.

"None, actually," Giles turned and went back into the stacks, Liam and Spike exchanged a single glance before they snorted and started to laugh.

"Seriously, no-one came in here all day?" Spike laughed, "gee, and you thought they were exaggerating when they said you'd have plenty of time to organize the books."

"Yes, well, I started today, and I dusted all the shelves as well. I think I will finish tomorrow." Giles walked down the stairs and into his office. He re-emerged carrying his tweed jacket and his briefcase. The two teens picked up their bags as Giles locked his office door, and the three of them walked out of the library. The school was deserted as they walked through, letting themselves out into the sunny afternoon. Giles led the way out to the teacher's car park. Spike sighed and hopped into the backseat of his father's car, letting Liam have the front. They had a pre arranged system when it came to who sat where when. Spike got the morning drive, Liam the afternoon.

Giles started the car and began the drive, clearing his throat when it became apparent that neither of the boys were going to start talking voluntarily.

"So, did you make many new friends?"

"Yes, Spike and I made friends with a group of kids from our year level. There is Buffy and Willow and Cordelia and Xander." Liam said when Spike didn't say anything.

"I told you that you both would make friends quickly. You're both very sociable and likable young men." Giles said as he pulled into the driveway of their new house. It was a typical house, with a white picket fence, and a lush green lawn, and a rose garden. The house itself had two stories. Four bedrooms, one with its own bathroom, the others sharing a bathroom between them up on the top floor, while the bottom floor had a dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, a study/library for Giles, and a separate living area that Spike and Liam had taken over. Giles had jokingly referred to it as their lair. The nickname had stuck.

Once they were let inside the house, Liam went upstairs straight away, and Giles could only guess what the older boy was doing. Spike, however, stayed downstairs, lingering uncertainly.

"Are you all right, Will?" Giles asked, having long ago decided that he would not call his son by that horrid nickname, though Spike was admittedly better than Ripper. Neither of his boys knew about THAT name.

Thank God.

"Yes, Dad. I'm fine. Just thinking about today." Spike softly said. Giles smiled comfortingly.

"Did you enjoy it? Your classes? Tell me more about your friends."

Spike smiled, knowing that his dad was trying to convince himself that coming to Sunnydale had been a good idea, "I enjoyed it. I like my computer class, it's something different, and the teacher is very, well, understanding. My English teacher made me stand up in front of the entire class and talk about myself. I know I usually like doing that, but not in front of people I don't know. P.E. was fun though. We played soccer, and Liam and I kicked arse."

"Will" Giles chided, rolling his eyes at his son's language.

Spike shrugged, "Sorry. Anyway, I got Trigonometry homework that I probably should do. I like doing biology better than doing chemistry though."

"What about your new friends?"

"Well, Willow is really nice. She's in my Computer Programming, English and Trig classes. . She knows heaps about computers. She's going to help me catch up with the rest of the class. She's got long red hair, and her eyes are like emeralds. She's so sweet and naïve, and she is really shy, but at the same time she's so friendly, and makes you feel welcome. Her best friend is Buffy. Buffy is blonde, with blue eyes. I think Liam likes her. Cordelia has dark brown hair and she's very fashion conscious and blunt. She's on the cheerleading team. Her boyfriend is Xander, who has known Willow since they were little kids. I think Xander is intimidated by Liam and me, because he kept sending us these looks that told us that Cordelia is very off limits. I'm fine with that, she isn't my type."

Giles began to prepare a cup of tea, and he kept his back turned to his son to hide his smile. He had picked up on the way Spike's voice changed when he had been talking about Willow.

"I'd like to meet them one day." Giles said, and Spike nodded.

"One day at lunchtime we'll come for a visit."

"You should go upstairs and do your homework. Dinner would be ready at six thirty. Will you let Liam know?" 

"Yes Dad," Spike picked up his school bag and hurried upstairs. Giles shook his head at his son's retreating back, before picking up his cup of tea and moving into his study. He sat in his comfortable leather chair, which had been shipped across from London, and flicked open a book. Leaning his head back, Giles relaxed.

Maybe coming to Sunnydale had been a good idea after all.

BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS

Spike sat at his new desk, having finished his homework. It had taken him longer than he had planned, maths was not a strength of his. Liam was good at Maths though, and art. Spike knew his cousin was probably sketching something that very moment. He got off his chair and walked out of his bedroom and into the passageway. He walked to Liam's room, which was next to his own, and walked in.

"What do you want, Will?" Liam asked from his own desk.

"I was just wondering what you were drawing, Liam."

"Not much" Liam said, eying his open sketchpad. Spike grinned and snatched it up off the desk.

"Oh, someone's got a crush on a certain blonde haired girl who likes Karate and does PE with us." He teases, eyeing the picture of Buffy with amused eyes.

"Like you can talk, William. I'm sure you've been thinking of poems and sonnets about a certain red haired computer expert all afternoon." Liam shot back

Spike froze, 'Damn, Liam knew him too well.'

"Boys, dinners ready" Giles called from downstairs. Spike took the opportunity and shot out of the room, leaving Liam's sketchpad on his cousin's desk. Liam rolled his eyes, and followed Spike down the stairs.

BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS

Dinner was a quiet affair, as it often was when two hungry teenagers were at the table. Giles was used to it, and took advantage of the opportunity to observe the two teens, his son, and his nephew as they scoffed into their food. Neither of them seemed unhappy, and their appetite seemed to be normal. It didn't seem all that long ago, only a few months, really, when it had been a major struggle to get them both, particularly William, to eat. But then, Giles considered, he hadn't really been taking particularly good care of himself at that exact point of time either. He was glad that those days were behind him, although he would never forget them.

After dinner. Liam talked to Giles about doing Karate with Buffy. Giles had approved whole heartedly, knowing how much Liam enjoyed the activity, and also knowing that it was beneficial for the boy to have an outlet for his pent up energy, frustration, and for his darker moods. He had asked William if he wanted to start as well, but the peroxide blonde had declined politely, smiling and shaking his head as he did the washing up, and dried the dishes, before escaping back up to his room.

Giles sighed and sadly shook his head, wishing he could do something, anything to help his son.

**A.N. Here is the latest installment. I have been told that this story needs a beta reader, but I don't really know how to go about getting one. Can anyone give me a hand with this?**

**I might be a bit late with the updates from now on, as I go back to school on Monday after six months off (Sigh). I will update as often as possible though.**

**Reviews are encouraging, and will help me become a better writer. Flames, however, don't. **

**R.W.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Spike groaned as he sluggishly returned to consciousness to the sound of his beeping alarm. He blindly swung out his arm and switched off the alarm, before pulling his blankets over his head.

"Bloody hell" he groaned, struggling to find the motivation to get out of bed. He dimly recalled the days when he simply didn't get out of bed. Nobody had cared; even his own father had been too caught up in their own grief. Even as he thought of those days, he looked at his arm in the dim light, able to see the faint scars that marred his wrist. He felt the air around him getting stuffy, and pushed the covers away from his face. His eyes scanned the room, making out shapes in the gloom. There was his old Sex Pistols poster that he had gotten for his last birthday from his dad. It had pride of place on his wardrobe door, and then there was his extensive bookshelf beside his new desk, complete with a brand new computer that had been a homecoming/sweetening up present from his dad. Spikes stack of schoolbooks sat beside his computer.

Schoolbooks…

School…

Willow.

Spike smirked and clambered out of his bed, yawning and stretching his back as he opened his bedroom door and walking down the hallway to the bathroom he and Liam shared. He closed and locked the door behind him. He indulged in a lengthy hot shower, before drying off. Towel around his waist, he unlocked the bedroom door and opened it, strolling out casually and walking towards his own room again, but not before Liam stormed out of his own room, smacking PSike on the back of the head as he stalked past, before he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Spike snickered, before he let himself back into his own room and got dressed back into his customary black jeans, black t-shirt, and red over shirt with his leather jacket. He combed his hair, and scowled at his reflection when his short peroxide curls refused to stay back where he wanted them. He tossed his comb onto his dresser, giving up in disgust, and grabbed his school books, putting them into his bag. His bag packed, he tossed it over his shoulder, and went downstairs to have breakfast. Predictably, Giles was already sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of tea, and eat marmalade on toast while he red the paper. Spike rolled his eyes, and got a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice ready, before he sat beside his father and stole the sports section. He ate quickly, flicking through until he to to the results page.

"Yes, Manchester united won. Excellent." He hissed. Giles looked up at his son.

"Yes, that's good news indeed." Giles replied automatically, failing to see his son's attraction to that sport. Cricket, on the other hand. That was a good sport.

Spike rolled his eyes at his father, shaking his head. Parents never understood these things.

Spike finished his breakfast, having given the sports section to Liam to read while he ate his breakfast, and put his dishes in the sink, before he went and impatiently went and stood by the front door.

"C'mon, Liam, hurry up." He called. Liam glared at him, but put his dishes with Spike's and picked up his bag. Giles got his briefcase and jacket, and together they walked out to the car. Spike got the front seat this time, and smiled most of the way to school, happy that Liam was in a bad mood, though the closer they got to the school, the more Angel's mood improved. Spike was willing to bet it was due to the prospect of seeing a certain blonde again.

BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS BtVS

Spike smirked as he walked down the corridor of Sunnydale high, his head held high. He could feel the eyes of every girl, and quite a few of the guys, on him as he breezed down the corridor. It had been the same back in London, and Spike found it nice to know that although almost everything else changed, girls didn't no matter where you went in the world.

Well, most girls anyway, Spike amended, spotting Willow at he locker. He walked casually over to her. She was so absorbed in rearranging her books that she didn't notice his approach until he'd leant against the locker beside hers.

"Hey Red" he said, grinning when Willow let out a squeal and a jump when he spoke.

"Spike, don't do that, you scared me" Willow gasped.

"Sorry, luv." He grinned, and Willow's cheeks turned a rosy pink colour.

"Hey Spike, did you have a good night last night?"

"Yes, Pet, I did. Did you get that Trig homework done?"

"Yes, I did. Did you, Spike?"

"Yeah, I don't know how I went though; I'm not very good at maths."

"I can have a look and we could compare answers. I like maths, it makes sense."

"At least there's one of us" Spike laughed. Willow giggled.

"Don't worry, I got Xander through every year of schooling leading upto now, and will probably keep doing it into graduation, and I got Buffy through last year. I'll be able to help you as well."

"Thanks luv" Spike grinned, before his gaze was drawn to the inside of Willow's locker door. It was brightly coloured with photos and shiny paper. Spike's gaze flew over the photos. Xander was in all of them, at various ages, and with him were other people. In a couple of the more recent ones, there was Cordy and Buffy, and in most of the younger shots, there was another boy who Spike did not recognise. Willow herself was in most of the photos, but it was the boy that Spike didn't recognise that intrigued him.

"Who's that, pet?' he asked, pointing at one of the photos.

"That was Xander, Jessie and I on our first day at Sunnydale high, almost three years ago. Jessie, well, he died last year, just before Buffy came to school here. He was our best friend. The three of had been friends since elementary school." Willow spoke softly and there was a definite sadness to her voice. Spike mentally kicked himself.

"Cor, love, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring anything up that would have upset you." Spike apologised. Willow shook her head, keeping it lowered so Spike couldn't see the tears that were welling in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but there were a couple that rolled down her cheeks.

"It's okay, you didn't know. Nobody can blame you for being curious."

"Pet, I upset you. Obviously I'm going to feel guilty about it. What kind of monster would I be if I didn't?"

"It's okay, Spike" Willow smiled, looking up at him. Blue eyes locked onto tear filled green eyes, and Spike smiled reassuringly, reaching out with his hand to cup her cheek in his palm and used his thumb to wipe away Willow's tears. He pulled her into a hug, and the redhead stiffened, before she relaxed into it. She wasn't usually hugged by guys, except for Xander, and she felt safe in the embrace.

Spike pulled away after a minute, and Willow smiled sheepishly, "Thank you" she said, and Spike smiled back at her.

"It's my pleasure, pet. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Spike, now come on, we're going to be late to class." Willow grabbed her books and closed her locker door, before grabbing Spike's arm and pulling him towards his locker. Spike laughed and walked beside her as Willow let him go, turning even more red as she went.

Spike dropped his bag off and got his books together for his first few lessons while he was at his locker. Once he was done he closed it and grinned at Willow.

"Show me the way, my lady," he teased. Willow giggled and bushed, before they walked down the corridor together. They passed Buffy and Liam, and Spike smirked when he noticed how close they were standing, and that Liam was tentatively holding Buffy's hand. Willow's giggle told him she'd noticed too.

"I knew she liked him." She grinned as they walked, ad Spike nodded.

"I know, he likes her too."

"Hey, Willow" a voice called out. Willow and Spike turned around as two other students hurried over to them. Spike recognised them from one of his classes. Biology, that was it.

"Oh, hey guys. This is Will. He's one of the new guys."

"Hi, call me Spike" Spike shook hands with them both. The girl had blond hair, and was tall with a upturned nose. The guy was short, and had blue hair.

"Hi, I'm Amy, and this is Oz."

"Hey," Oz said, nodding his greeting.

"Nice to meet you" Spike nodded back.

"So, you're one of the new boys from England, huh?" Amy eagerly asked.

"So they tell me." Spike grinned.

"When are the Dingoes playing at the Bronze next, Oz" Willow asked.

"Saturday night, are you guys coming?" 

"Depends on what the others are doing, and on how much homework I have."

"You should come, bring Spike." Amy said excitedly.

"We'll probably see you there. Bye" Willow said. Amy nodded and then turned to face Oz, kissing him on the lips, before hurrying off to class. Oz took on a kind of dazed expression, and went in his own direction, allowing Willow and Spike to keep walking.

"Oz is in a band. They play sometimes at the local club, and we go and see them play." Willow explained as they walked into the computer programming classroom. Spike nodded in understanding as they sat in the same place as they did the previous day.

"So, what do you think of Sunnydale high so far, Spike?" Willow asked as she arranged her books. Spike shrugged.

"It's alright. It's smaller than I expected and there are less people around than I'm used to, but I kind of like that."

"Were there lots of people at your old school in London?" Willow asked. Spike nodded ruefully.

"Yeah, it was a big school; there were about one thousand kids. How many go here?"

"About four hundred, maybe a little over four hundred. Wow, your school must have been huge. No wonder Sunnydale seems small" 

"Yep, but like I said, I like it here better than I did there already."

"Wow, and it's only your second day." Willow laughed, and Spike joined in. Once their laughter had stopped, Spike found himself watching the red haired girl as she smiled.

"Can I ask you a question, Pet?" she queried. Willow nodded, grinning shyly.

"How old are you?"

Willow blushed and glanced down, "I'm only sixteen, I'm a year younger than everyone else. The others are all seventeen, but I don't turn seventeen until October. Cordy is the eldest of us, she turns eighteen a week after my birthday."

"She's not the eldest any more though. Liam's older, he's eighteen already. He turns nineteen in November. They put him in this year because he wanted to redo the end of this year. For the last few months, well, school was the least of our worries."

"Oh, that's sad." Willow murmured sympathetically, "How old are you?" she asked, trying to draw Spike away from his melancholy thoughts.

:"I turned seventeen on January the 30th, which wasn't all that long ago. When's your birthday?"

"October the fourteenth." Willow replied. PSike flipped open his school diary and wrote it in. Willow giggled, then pulled out her diary, and di the same with PSike's birthday, even though it had already passed.

From her place behind the pair, Harmony snickered, "Aww, look, its Willow and William. How cute. Tell me, William, have Willow and Buffy gotten you to be the new poster boy for their geek squad; God knows you're a better poster boy than Xander Harris, despite what Cordelia thinks."

Willow turned beet red and bowed her head slightly, hoping that Spike couldn't see the tears that welled up in her eyes at Harmony's comment. Unfortunately, Spike got a glimpse of the watery substance anyway, and he angrily turned in his seat so he could face the blonde bimbo that had dared to hurt Willow.

"Did you think of that all by yourself? You must be sol proud, even if it did take you twenty four hours to think it up, or did you get one of your bitch clones to do the actual think for you, though by the looks of them, they aren't so bright either." He told her. Harmony's friends looked horrified as they slowly processed what he had said. He had been right, none of them were very clever, and it took them a while to be done. By that point in time, Spike had turned back around, and was comforting Willow.

"You'll be right, love. She's a daft bint. She doesn't matter; you're above her in every way."

"Thanks Spike," Willow mumbled as Ms. Calender entered the room, running late from a staff meeting Principal Snyder had called. That man was a troll sometimes, she thought. Her eyes locked onto the pair that sat in the front row. Spike had his arm around Willow and he was obviously comforting her. A glance at Harmony's shocked expression left in little doubt at what had happened. Spike had come to Willow's rescue, saving her from the most vicious and Dangerous of all demons, the bitchy teenaged girl. He had become her knight in shining armour, or, Ms. Calender amended, her knight in Black leather and denim. She smiled slyly.

"Maybe I should change professions; I obviously missed my true calling. Jenny Calender, Professional Matchmaker.

**A.N. Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it, reviews are great. It might be awhile before this story gets updated again though, unfortunately. (Stupid school) **

**R.W.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At lunch that day Spike and Liam once again sat with Willow, Buffy, Cordelia and Xander, at the same table as they had the previous day.

"So, Liam, are you going to start doing Karate?" Buffy asked as she sat down beside the dark haired boy, having been let out of class late.

Liam nodded ,"Yeah, when are you going there next so I can go with you and put my name down."

"Not tonight, but tomorrow night I will be going. Tuesdays and Fridays are my non-Karate days."

"What about weekends?' Spike asked

"It depends if there is a grading or a tournament coming up." Buffy said, shrugging

"Sounds good. Can I go with you tomorrow?' Liam smiled

"Sure, bring something you can change into to school, something loose fitting, like shorts and a t-shirt is fine until you get a uniform." Buffy smiled, "I usually drop my school stuff of at home before I go there, is that okay. You can come with me."

"Alright, Thanks. I'm still getting used to the layout of the town" Liam grinned. Spike rolled his eyes.

"That makes two of us, Angel."

Liam nodded, but the others were confused.

"Angel?" Willow asked.

"My nickname, like Spike is William's. Mine is Angel." Liam explained.

"Angel. Hmm, I like it, it suits you." Buffy smiled. Spike rolled his eyes again towards Xander and Willow, who both had to cover their mouths to stifle their amusement

"So, is this like an English thing? The whole nick name thing? On the first day of high school do they line you up, and you have to choose a name for yourself that isn't anything like your real name?" Xander asked, and Spike laughed.

"No, it was just us and a few of our friends. Liam and I were the most inventive though when it came to our nicknames."

"So, how did you come up with Spike and Angel?" Willow asked.

"Well, back at home, years ago, I was dared to break into a railway yard near my school, and to take something, it didn't matter what. I grabbed a railroad spike. I gave it to one of my friends when I left England. I didn't think I would be able to bring it with me. You yanks are very sensitive about what is brought into your country."

Willow shrugged in response, "They probably figure that there are enough weapons on the streets without imported railway spikes being thrown into the mix."

Spike, Xander and Cordelia dissolved into laughter. And the noise pulled Angel and Buffy out of their own little world.

"What about you, Liam. How did you get the name Angel?"

"One of the girls that we were friends with made a comment one night that I had the face of an Angel, and the name kind of stuck." Angel explained. Buffy's face instantly softened.

"Awe, that so sweet."

"I think Liam here liked it for the irony, as he definitely wasn't overly angelic back in those days." Spike commented

"So says the man who broke into a railway yard and stole a railroad Spike." Xander said teasingly.

Spike shrugged, "I never pretended to be a alter boy."

"You don't strike me to be the alter boy kind." Cordelia commented.

Willow nodded, "Definitely not what I expect an alter boy to look like. More like the opposite of an alter boy, whatever that is."

The entire group laughed at Willow's comment, including Willow herself.

"I have to go and see my uncle for something," Angel excused himself, getting from his seat, having finished eating.

"Oh, can we come; I'd love to meet him?" Buffy enthusiastically asked.

"Besides, I want to see if theirs any new books in, now that there is actually a librarian." Willow chimed in. Angel shrugged, and the two girls got up. Spike got up to, wanting to be the one who introduced his father to Willow. Xander and Cordy, who had both finished eating as well, got up, deciding that they would go with the others. They got rid of their trays and their rubbish, and Spike and Willow led the way towards the library, Spike's hand gently and loosely holding Willow's. Angel and Buffy spotted the gesture, and Buffy smiled. Willow deserved someone who cared about her, she'd been devastated what Xander and Cordelia had started going out, and had only really accepted the couple, and moved on from her childhood crush on her best friend a few months ago. Buffy glanced sideways at Xander, who was watching Spike and Willow's gently clasped hands with narrowed eyes. She nudged him with her foot.

"She accepted Cordelia for you" she reminded him quietly.

"I know, but if he hurts her, I'm going to kick his arse. Willster is my best friend, she's like my sister. I don't want her to get hurt."

"I think it's nice that Willow's got herself a man. It means I won't feel so guilty when Xander and I go dancing at the Bronze, and she's like the third wheel." Cordy chimed in.

They reached the library, and Spike pushed the door open.

"Dad, you in here?" he called. They heard a muffled voice coming from up in the stacks, and then Giles poked his head out between two shelves, a feather duster clasped between his teeth, and a stack of books in his arms. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the six teenagers standing in the library, and he hastily put the books down and took the feather duster from his mouth.

"Oh, hello, I was just cleaning up in the shelves."

"Obviously' Spike commented dryly, "Dad, these are our friends. This is Willow, that's Xander and Cordelia."

"And this is Buffy," Angel added grateful to Spike for letting him introduce the girl he was interested in.

"Oh, yes, the boys were telling me about you last night. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Giles hurried down the steps and shook hands with Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Buffy.

"Hi" Xander nodded

"Hello" Cordelia smiled

"Hey" Buffy greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, how have you found Sunnydale so far?" Willow asked.

"Very pleasant, actually. It's very different from London."

"Yeah, much smaller, and without the traffic" Buffy agreed

"And without the soccer mad people" Xander joked. Angel and the girls laughed, and Spike sighed.

"I swear I'm going to miss that sport more than anything else I left at home."

"I highly doubt that somehow, William." Giles said.

"Yeah, and there still matches on TV," Cordelia consoled.

Spike raised his scarred eyebrow at Cordelia, shooting the brunette a look that was as scathing as any Cordelia herself could deliver.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that about Soccer, Cheerleader."

"Okay" Cordelia mumbled, subdued by Spike's piercing gaze. Willow, Xander, and Buffy snorted at the Dark haired head cheerleader's reaction, but Cordy got her own back when she elbowed Xander sharply in the stomach, causing the boy to gasp out. Buffy and Willow dissolved into giggles.

"Was their something the two of you wanted to ask me, or did you just come to introduce me to your friends?" Giles asked. Spike grinned and cocked his head to one side.

"Why, are you trying to get rid of us so you can get back to your precious cleaning?"

"No, William, but it is almost time for you to go to class, and You don't want to be late."

"Yes dad" Spike rolled his eyes.

"I just wanted to ask if it would be okay if I went to karate with Buffy tomorrow night after school."

"Oh, yes, of course" Giles nodded.

"Great, see you after school then." Angel turned and led the way out of the library.

"Bye" Buffy said to Giles before turning and following Angel out.

"It was nice to meet you." Willow cheerfully called, before she, Spike, Xander and Cordelia followed Angel and Buffy out of the library.

Giles climbed back up the stairs, before looking back over his shoulder as the door swung shut. Smiling ruefully himself, her shook his head, and was about to turn back to the precious books, when he heard the library door open again. He walked back out of the stacks, expecting that one of the boys had forgotten something.

"What did you forget?" he asked, before he froze. It hadn't been one of the boys. A woman stood in the library foyer, carrying a folder under her arm. She had short dark hair, and the most beautiful eyes Rupert had ever seen. The Englishman coughed.

"I'm sorry, I though you were one of the students. I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Rupert Giles, the new librarian. It's a pleasure to meet you." Giles hurried down the stairs and approached the woman, offering her his hand, which she shook strongly.

'I'm Jenny Calender, the Computer programming teacher. It's nice to meet you too, Rupert Giles."

**A.N. I know this chapter is short, but this just seemed like a good spot to end this chapter. **


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